Tool handle for machines for relooping the runs in stockings and other knitted fabrics



' May 3, 19 32. 1 WALKER 1,856,605

TOOL HANDLE FOR MACHINES FOR RELOOPING THE RUNS IN STOCKINGS AND OTHER KNITTED FABRICS Filed April 30, 1929 'Fiinnunnl "u",

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Patented May 3, 1932 umrao STATES PATENT oFFIcE enonen 'r. WALKER, on NEW YORK, n. 2., Assreuoa, BY mnsnn ASSIGNMENTS, 'ro Karena nosmnr MOTOR-MEND conroaArIou, or WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A

CORPORATION OF DELAWARE mop,

Application filed April 30,

' The invention relates in, general to a machine for relooping the runs in stockings and other knitted fabrics and the invention particularly relates to the tool handle which car.- ries the looping needle in such machine. The

.present invention constitutes an improvement in the form of handle disclosed in the patent of William D. Van Dyke, No. 1,745,- 462, issued Feb. 4 1930..

In the above identified application, there is disclosed a machine for repairing or relooping the dropped stitches forming runs in hosiery and other knitted fabric and includes a manually actuated handle slidably mounted in which'is a rod constituting. a tool carrier at one end of which is a tool chuck in which a 'relooping needle is demountably posiftioned. The opposite end of the carrier-is attain a quick stopping of the needle action.

When the needle action had to be stopped re peatedly all day long, the operators fingers became sore thus slowing up the operation. A quick stopping of the needle action is vitally necessary in devices of this character otherwise the runningwild of the needle in the fabric is very apt to damage the same.

Accordingly, the primary object of the present disclosure is to provide a simplified means for insuring a quick, positive and dependable interruption of the needle action at will and at the same time to protect the fingers of the operator.

, Broadly, this object of the invention is attained by providing as part of the needle controlling handle a finger controlled needle carrier clutching device which can be actuated simply by the operator pincha non memes non annoorme 'rnn RUNS m srocxmes AND ornnn mrrrrnn nannies 1929. serial 3510. 359,408.

in the run and vpermitting the needle to guide itself automatically along the run and without volition on the part of the operator.

It was found that the machine would function most perfectly when the handle was in eiiectpivotally suspended between the thumb and first finger of the operator and at a point positioned a material distance back of the operating needle. This gavea relatively long leverage between the point of suspension of the handle and the self guiding needle thus permitting a relatively free play to the needle while minimizing any deterrent efiect due to the inaccuracy in the positioning of the operators hand. The present form of handle features a construction which permits of this freely movable and automatic guiding of the needle along the run and at the same time provides a form of handle by means of which the operator has a sensitive and quickly responsive control to stop the action of the needle whenever desired.

In the practical operation of machines of the character herein disclosed, it is usual to shut off the current supply to the motor permitting it to slow down to a stop While taking up a new article to be repaired or in changing the position of the article being repaired. Despite the fact that it is appreciated by the operator that the relooping needle is frail and easily damaged, the busy operator has quite a tendency to drop the reciprocating needle on to the work bench with possibility of damaging the needle or of the needle damaging fabrics on the work 1 table.

Accordingly, another object of the invention is to provide a simple form of support for the handle herein featured by means of which the handle may be quickly and easily disposed in and withdrawn from a safe,

out-of-the-way position and in which position the needle may continue to reciprocate without possibility of doing damage.

Broadl this phase of the invention is 1 5 attained y securing to the motor upwardly facing spring clutch, the jaws of which are fashioned to receive and clamp there between the clutch sleeve forming the outer side of the handle.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and in part will'be more fully set forth in the following particular description of one form of 15 mechanism embodying the invention, and the invention also consists in certain new and novel features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: 7

' Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a run relooping machine equipped with a tool handle v constituting a preferred embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in side elevation of the handle shown in Fig. 1 looking down on the same and viewing the same at right angles from the position shown in the prece ng figure; and ig. 3 is an axial sectional view. taken through the showing in Fig. 2 and taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Q

In the drawings and referring generally to Fig. 1, there is disclosed an electric motor 10 operatively-connected to a motion translating and slip clutch form of drive contained in the casing 11 for reciprocating power member 12 contained in a flexible Bowden wire connection 13, all as is more fully disclosed in the copendin application filed by Charles E.

Mandelick, erial No. 357,599 filed April23, 1929. 7

At the free end of the flexible connection 13 is a long pencil-like sleeve 16 forming a handle in which a thin rod or shaft 17 hereinafter referred to as a tool carrier is slidably mounted for reciprocatory movement. The tool carrier projects at one end beyond the free end of the handle and has secured thereto a tool chuck 18 in which is demountably positioned a relooping needle 19 in this case shown to be of the sliding latch type.-

The opposite end of the needle carrier is connected to the reciprocating power member 12 .55 by means of a coupling 28 forming no part of this disclosure.

The tool handle is provided intermediate its ends with a pair of diametrically opposed apertures 20 and 21 and positioned on the 90 handle is a sleeve 22 secured thereto at its for- .ward end and having its rear end split to form bifurcated resilient arms or parts 23 and 24. The free ends of these parts are provided on their outer side with concaved discs 25 and 26 forming finger cups for receiving the thumb and one of the fingers of the operator. Each of the parts 23 and 24 is provided with an inwardly extending clutching lug 27 which lugs project towards each other and act when the finger cups are pressed towards each other to clutch the tool carrier 17 therebetween and thus hold the needle from reciprocating. It is understood that when the needle carrier is thus held, the motor continues to turn and that the necessary slippage is provided by some form of slip clutch connection contained in the part of the drive within the casing 11 and one form of which is shown in the above identified Van Dyke patent. I

It is noted that the concaved discs 25 and 26 provide in efiect finger sockets which coact with the operators thumb and finger to form in effect a ball and socket pivotal mounting disposed so as to permit a freedom h of vertical movement of the needle when considered in the position shownin Fig. 1. It is intended that this pivotal mounting of the handle as a whole in the operators hand shall be spaced a material distance from the needle 19 so that the needle can guide itself along the run and will in effect be controlled by the portion of the fabric outlining the run, even though thisportion of the fabric be frail and without much rigidity. It is intended that the operator hold the tool lightly in suspended position with the needle engaging in the run and without effort on the part of the \operator to guide or in any other way con trol the operation of the needle. The operator is assumed simply to suspend the needle in position and to maintain a support for the handle following the handle as it is advanced by the needle along the run. Holding the handle between the finger and thumb gives not only the requisite flexibility between the handle and the operators hand to permit of a free swinging of the handle but provides a positioning of the thumb and finger of the tool supporting hand to give an instantaneous control of the clutch when it is desired to stop the action of the needle. A pinching action by the thumb and finger can be quickly effected and the action of the needle is stopped. This is attained even if only one of the clutch lugs is brought into frictional engagement with the reciprocatingneedle carrier.

I The inherent resiliency of the bifurcated parts of the clutch sleeve is such as to permit the release of the tool carrier as soon as the pinching pressure is removed and in this way the action of the needle can be stopped and started substantially without jar or vibration.

-In order to hold the needle in an out-ofthe-way position so that it is not liable to become damaged and to minimize its possibility of doing damage there is provided an ing resilient arms designed to accommodate the sleeve 22 therebetween and thus hold the handle up off the work table or other support on which the motor 10 is mounted. B means of this holding bracket it is possible for the operator to position the tool quickly in supported position in convenient reach of the operator when needed for the continued operation. Positioning the bracket on the side of the motor opposite the casing 11 from which the flexible drive 13 extends tends to minimize possibility of kinking the drive 13.

I claim:

1. A relooping tool comprising a sleeve constituting a handle provided with a pair of transversely aligned apertures, a needle carrier mounted for reciprocatory movement in the handle, a sleeve secured at one end to the handle and having its opposite ends bifurcated and forming a pair of resilient members, each of said members provided with a ing, said lugs projecting through said apertures and adopted when the members are pressed towards each other to clutch the needle carrier therebetween to hold it from reciprocating.

2. A relooping tool comprising a sleeve constituting a handle, a needle carrier mounted in the handle for reciprocatory movement, and a pair of oppositely disposed finger controlling clutching means carried by the handle and operatively disposed to pinch the carrier at will therebetween.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a long sleeve, a rod constituting a needle carrier mounted in said sleeve and projecting from one end thereof, a needle chuck carried by said projecting portion of f the carrier, a pair of resilient clutch forming members carried by the sleeve and disposed to engage the carrier on opposite sides thereof to regulate the reciprocatory movement of the needle mounted in the chuck.

4. A handle for a relooping needle comprising a sleeve, a needle carrier positioned in said sleeve for reciprocating movement and projecting from one end of the sleeve, means carried by said projecting end to mount a relooping needle, and said sleeve provided in spaced relation to said end with a pair of discs having oppositely disposed concaved faces adapted to receive the thumb and finger of the operator and thus provide a pivotal mounting of the handle in the operators hand leaving the needle end of the handle substantially free to move about said pivotal mounting and clutching means controlled by pinching said discs towards eachother for controlling the reciprocatory movement of said needle carrier.

5. A relooping tool comprising a handle, a.

mounting the tool between the thumb and forefinger of an operators hand, said means provided with clutching means for pinching the needle carrier thereby to regulate the reciprocatory movement of the needle carrier while holding the handle in its pivotally mounted position between the thumb and forefinger.

6. In a hosiery repair machine, a motor, a friction drive operated thereby, a shaft actuated by said friction drive, a repair needle connected to said shaft, a sleeve in which said shaft is adapted to reciprocate, and a stop mechanism surrounding said sleeve and having a flexible arm adapted to engage said shaft to stop reciprocation of said shaft and needle.

7. In a hosiery repair machine, a motor, a friction drive operated thereby, a shaft actuated by said friction drive, a repair needle connected to said shaft, a sleeve in which said shaft is adapted to reciprocate, means on said shaft and said sleeve to prevent rotation of one relative to the other, apertures in said sleeve, and a pair of spaced spring metal arms surrounding said sleeve v and having lugs adapted to enter said apertures and to contact with said shaft to stop reciprocation thereof.

8. In a hosiery repair machine, a source of motive power, a shaft carrying a repair needle adapted to be operated thereby, a handle for guiding said needle, and means including a flexible arm coextensive with said handle and adapted to engage said shaft to stop the operation of said needle.

9. In a hosiery repair machine, a source of motive power, a shaft carrying a repair needle adapted to be operated thereby, a handle or guiding said needle, and means including a plurality of flexible arms associated with said handle and adapted to engage said shaft to stop the operation of said needle.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 27th day of April, A. D. 1929.

GEORGE T. WALKER. 

